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2.2.1: Terrans
Terrans (also known as Humans; Homo sapiens sapiens) are an intelligent, highly social, bipedal carbon-based species that originated on the planet Earth (Sol System, Terra Quadrant, Sol Sector). While technically only those Humans who are native to Earth are properly called Terrans, the appellation is usually applied to all of Homo sapiens sapiens by members of other species. In the five centuries that the species has been starfaring, the various factions of humanity have established several large states that collectively cover the majority of six whole Sectors (with significant populations in another three). The largest of these factions by far is the Terran Confederation, though other important Earth-origin groups include the Union of Border Worlds, the Free Republic of the Landreich and the Grovsner Colonies. * Personality: Terrans in general have a strong need to explore and gather knowledge. They are clever, inventive, aggressive, tenacious, mildly territorial and possessive. Most Terrans care deeply for their families and will go to great lengths to protect their youth, often to the point of laying down their lives. These traits in general have enabled the spread of the species far beyond their homeworld and have ensured their survival despite countless bloody conflicts (not the least of which has been the ongoing conflict with the neighboring Kilrathi). * Physical Description: Terrans are a bipedal omnivorous species with smooth skin and a characteristic mat of scalp hair. They are 1.5 to 2 meters in height and their skin ranges from light beige to dark brown in color. They have the highest body hair density of any Earth-origin primate but their hair is so fine that it is often invisible at all but the closest visual range (with the exception of the aforementioned scalp mat). Terrans have an internal skeleton and two small, narrow-set eyes that allow for binocular vision. While moderately weak physically, Terrans are highly flexible mentally and are particularly adept at theoretical modeling and in applications of logic and inference. Terrans are tetrapods, having a pair of motor and propulsive appendages that each exhibit five digits on their respective distal ends; the opposable thumbs on their hands has in particular granted the species a high degree of manual dexterity. As a cultural norm, they usually eat three times a day, though the species can go a maximum of about two weeks without food and four days without water under normal circumstances. Most adult Terrans require between seven and eight hours of sleep per standard twenty-four hour period; both younger and elderly Terrans may require up to twelve hours of sleep. Although there is a degree of sexual dimorphism in this species, the differences are generally insignificant. Reproduction is performed sexually; Terran females typically produce one offspring via live birth after a 40-week gestation period. ** Motor Appendages: 2 ** Visual Organs: 2 *** Field of Vision: Optimal 120 degrees forward, Peripheral 200 degrees forward. ** Auditory Organs: 2 ** Olfactory Organs: 1 ** Gustatory Organs: 1 ** Propulsive Appendages: 2 ** Reproductive Organs: 1 * Relations with Other Races: As a rule, Terrans are open to the notion establishing friendships with many different peoples. The Firekkan people were members of the Confederation for close to a decade, until the race withdrew prior to the False Armistice in 2668; they still remain major allies of the Human factions. Kilrathi slave races such as the Varni and Wu are also generally welcome (if rare) within the Terran spheres. Terrans are neutral towards underdeveloped races such as the Mopoks, Dolosians and Oasians, and are diplomatically neutral towards minor starfaring races such as the Hagarin, Haggans and Jarma. Contact with the Double Helix has been limited to date mainly due to their mode of communication; attempts at communication have actually been fatal to the researchers involved, though Terran scientists and diplomats still hold out hope for peaceful co-existence with the enigmatic race. Terrans have had no contact with the Mantu to date. By far the race that has shown the most belligerency towards the Terran race is the Kilrathi, along with the few satellite races they have deigned to allow to freely exist (such as the Dioscuri). The Nephilim have also presented themselves as a major threat to the Terran spheres. The Confederation ultimately went to war with both of these races; the wars lasted for the bulk of the latter two-thirds of the 27th Century. The major Terran factions also have had mixed relations with one another; while nominally allies, the war-torn Union of Border Worlds and the stubborn, independently-minded Landreich have both on occasion been the subject of disdain and apathy by the Confederation government, a policy which has led to general distrust (the UBW and Landreich meanwhile are have very strong ties with one another). * Territory: As previously mentioned, there are several sovereign Terran factions. The largest of these factions by far is the Terran Confederation, which holds the vast majority of the Sol, Argent, Avalon and Hawking Sectors (including all of the worlds of the former Pilgrim Alliance), all but a few systems of the Gemini Sector, a good chunk of the Enigma Sector (all but Isaac Quadrant is considered Confederation space), the Deneb Quadrant of Epsilon Sector, the Douglas and Day Quadrants of the Vega Sector and a small number of systems in the Landreich and Trk'Pahn Sector. The Union of Border Worlds is situated in a long "strip" along the border between the Terran Confederation and the Kilrathi Empire (hence its name), from the Roberts and Downing Quadrants in Vega Sector, through the Deneb and Antares Quadrants in Epsilon Sector (with some territory in Sa'Khan Quadrant) and into parts of the Isaac and Roddenberry Quadrants of Enigma Sector. The Cabrea System (Grills Quadrant, Enigma Sector) and New Plains System (Gonwyn Quadrant, Landreich Sector) are also part of the UBW. The Free Republic of the Landreich is confined to the Gonwyn and Tara Quadrants of Landreich Sector. A smaller Terran faction is the outlying Grovsner Colonies, consisting of the Grovsner and Etruria systems on the border of Confederation and Kilrathi space in the Tr'k Hara Quadrant of Trk'Pahn Sector. Finally, the Tri-System Confederation is a starfaring Terran faction located in the Isaac, Hom and Irrulan systems, none of which are connected to the same network of Akwende jumps as the other Terran factions. * Onomastikon: The nature of Terran onomastics varies depending upon the regional culture of origin. For the most part, a Terran name consists of a forename and a surname. Major deviations from this norm include names of Middle Eastern origin (which can include elements such as names of ancestors, descendants, places of origin and so on), names of Far Eastern origin (where the name structure is generally reversed) and names from a few cultures that previously assigned mononyms to individuals. Terran forenames are generally assigned to individuals upon birth by the individual's parents along with any meso-names. Most forenames have an underlying concept or meaning, though the importance of this concept has been lost in most Terran cultures over the centuries. Surnames are generally passed down through generations and were chosen by the families involved centuries ago based upon their location, occupation or a noteworthy family patriarch; to this day, the vast majority of Terran surnames are patronymic in origin. A full Terran onomastikon would be exceptionally large; the following sets of names should be considered as examples. ** Male Given Names: Ali, Chris, Dan, Denis, Domingo, Evan, Faruq, Fenris, George, Glen, Herman, Ian, James, Jeff, John, Joseph, Keith, Kenji, Kien, Kiyoshi, Michael, Paul, Peter, Raphael, Rashid, Stephen, Todd, Vasili, Warren, William. ** Female Given Names: Adele, Amanda, Andrea, Anne, Arianne, Bernice, Beverley, Camilla, Chuki, Clarice, Danielle, Della, Devika, Elizabeth, Fatima, Gabriella, Hawa, Helen, Hermione, Iola, Jeanette, Kristi, Madeline, Mariko, Naomi, Padma, Sabine, Tamara, Ursula, Wendy. ** Family Names: Berdak, Blair, Bourbonnais, Casey, Chun, Clemenceau, Devereaux, Fukushima, Gagarin, George, Halcyon, Hausmann, Hideyoshi, Isaac, Johnson, Khumalo, Knudsen, Kwetche, Lee, Loubet, Marshall, McConnell, Melekhin, Miles, Miller, Muchow, Muller, Ndango, Newman, Ngidhe, Oberhammer, Ono, Putin, Rimbaud, Roberts, Rogers, Sanger, Spector, St. John, Taggart, Tanaka. * Motivation: Terrans tend to be quite daring and ambitious; they will go on adventures simply for the experience. They are also a very inquisitive and curious people as a rule, and the drive to explore the universe is one of the major reasons why they have such a prominent interstellar presence. Other Terrans are driven solely by the lure of a fast buck, the prestige involved and the machismo that comes from adventuring. Finally, many of them see their role in Terran society as defender of the future of the species from enslavement or extinction; many Terrans travel far from their homes simply to aid in their defense. * Basic Characteristics: ** Size Class: C5 ** Base HP: 60 ** Base HD: 50/50/50 ** Physical Attribute Building Point Pool: 150 ** Mental Attribute Building Point Pool: 225 ** Discipline Building Point Pool: 250 ** Genders: 2 ** Life Stages: Adolescent at 13 years. Adult at 18 years. Middle age at 40 years. Old Age at 60 years. Venerable Age at 80 years. ** Lifespan: 80+4d10 years. ** Height (Male): 1.5 + (1d5 x 0.1) meters. ** Height (Female): 1.4 + (1d5 x 0.1) meters. ** Mass (Male): 40 + ((same 1d5 from height + 1d5) x 10) kilograms. ** Mass (Female): 30 + ((same 1d5 from height + 1d5) x 5) kilograms. ** Speed: Runner (Biped) - 6 kph (10 m/rd); 2 (short-range combat), 1/3 (long-range combat) ** Trade Value: ¤740 ** Racial Abilities and Restrictions: *** Complex Origins: Terran characters may use one of the following "templates" if approved by both the GM and the player involved: ****''Colonial'': The character is a citizen of the Union of Border Worlds, Free Republic of the Landreich or Grovsner Colonies. They are generally treated as foreign citizens in the Confederation and mistrust that group. Colonials have Social Status at -5 and Intolerant (Confederation Citizens) at -2. ****''Pilgrim Descent'': The character has Pilgrim ancestry. They are very adept at space navigation but are generally hated by the Confederation populace (particularly early in the Terran-Kilrathi War). Pilgrims have Navigational Sense at +15 and Hunted at -5. ****''Lancer'': The character is either a genetically-enhanced member of an illegal top secret Confederation black ops program or a descendant of such a person. Lancers have a full array of modifications: they begin with 250 points in both Attribute Pools, 300 points in their Discipline Pool and have Discipline, Nerves, Memory and Health all at +10. They also have Reputation, Hunted, Intolerant and Overconfident all at -10. Characters may not use this template for adventures dating prior to 2665. ---- NEXT: 2.2.2 Kilrathi PREVIOUS: 2.1 Disciplines and Attributes TOP ---- Category:WCRPG